Robbie Fulks is a great singer, crack guitarist, an accomplished songwriter. But mostly, he’s an entertainer. In his longtime hometown of Chicago, he holds a weekly residency at a neighborhood club where he’ll play a night of Michael Jackson covers, or bring in a string quartet to accompany his own country-inflected rock. His lyrics are funny and thoughtful, his between-song banter alone is worth the ticket. Judging from a SXSW journal he kept for a Chicago website (yes, he’s also a great writer) he doesn’t really like South by Southwest, but anyone who saw him in Austin probably wouldn’t believe it.

The Seductress from Sao Paulo left few if any prisoners at Yoshi’s during her Friday night set, thoroughly making putty out of the audience with a voice that has propelled the 53-year-old Elias into international stardom.

The band, including husband bassist Marc Johnson, may have seemed worn out, maybe even burned out, for much of the 90-minute set. The technical problems bordered on the comical, as we all had to suffer through an out-of-whack sound-mix and, for several minutes, a voice mic that was missing in action. And the whole feel of the show seemed gimmicky, with large swaths of uninspired improvisation.

But that didn’t stop everyone from falling in love with Elias, a big-hearted big blonde of a balladeer.

And what clenched the deal was that voice. Because it’s a voice that can reach out into the shadows, caress you, comfort you and darn near break your heart.

Elias moved methodically, almost by rote, through a ten-pack of songs, several of them off her new album, I Thought About You (A Tribute to Chet Baker). And the crowd seemed to grow more adoring with each tune, especially the ones that featured that voice.

There was the cover song, slow and silky, as Elias held the room with spot-on phrasing that left you hungry for more. There was Everything Depends on You, which she laid out in a tight slow blues, singing softly as a little girl might sing to herself while she daydreamed. And there were just enough Brazilian tunes to please those in the crowd who prefer that luscious flank in Elias’ repertoire.

While Elias engaged is some silly back-and-forth banter with the audience, she didn’t bother to introduce her bandmates, rounded out by electric-guitarist Steve Cardenas and Mauricio Zottarelli on drums, until the show was almost over.

But no matter. The audience jumped to their feet as the musicians took their final bow and then, with almost a shrug of their shoulders, came back for an encore, sending everyone happily home with a hot version of So Danco Samba.

AMC, as expected, has renewed “The Walking Dead” for a fourth season, but the zombie drama will undergo another change at the top as showrunner Glen Mazzara announced that he will be leaving the series.

In a statement, AMC said, “the two parties have mutually decided to part ways.”

“Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3,” the statement read. “AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success. Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways.”

AMC described the decision as “amicable” and said that Mazzara will stay on through post-production on Season 3, which resumes Feb. 10.

“The Walking Dead” is AMC’s biggest hit — and one of the biggest hits on television, becoming the first basic cable show to lead the ratings in the highly coveted adults 18-49 demo. Even so, it has had its share of behind-the-scenes drama. Frank Darabont, who adapted the series from Robert Kirkman’s comic books, was abruptly forced out as showrunner midway through Season 2 for reasons that still haven’t been made clear.

In a separate statement, Mazzara said, “My time as showrunner on ‘The Walking Dead’ has been an amazing experience, but after I finish Season 3, it’s time to move on. I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.”

Meanwhile, Kirkman issued his own extensive statement, saying, “I am in full support of both AMC and Glen Mazzara in the decision they have come to and believe the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show. I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to ‘The Walking Dead’ and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3. I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for ‘The Walking Dead.’ Thank you to the fans for your continued support.”

Despite those warm-and-fuzzy declarations, you have to wonder what exactly it was about Mazzara’s vision for the show that AMC objected to — and why the network would even want to mess with such amazing success. And “amicable”? Probably not.

Either way, fans have reason to be nervous. Under Mazzara’s direction, “The Walking Dead” became more tense and tough and gripping, even as it did up the gore quotient. The show landed on several end-of-the-year Top 10 lists issued by TV critics.

One of my favorite things about Ashland is how deeply invested people here are in the theatuh! Everywhere you go people are dishing about the plays. So far the buzz is full-on raves for Mary Zimmerman’s White Snake. Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella? Not so much. Check back here, however, for the only reviews that count: mine!

Basking in the ’20s vibe in vintage Ashland Springs Hotel. Sort of reminds me of the grand old Biltmore in LA, both are period gems that make you want to drink martinis with 2 olives! Now off to find a killer latte.

Unspeakably pretty on the bricks at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Nothing like seeing the Bard under the stars. Alas, sometimes Mother Nature makes a special guest appearance, so best to be prepared for all kinds of weather from balmy nights to frost bite. That’s especially true if you are pulling a 6 plays in 3 days full-on Bardathon like yours truly!

Founded by a couple of high school buddies, The District Attorneys blend Americana and pop, fueled by great guitar and lush harmonies. They’ve been releasing their stuff free as they prepped for their first full-length album. (Get two free EPs here). The new album is now finished and the songs they played at SXSW were excellent. The album, “Slowburner,” will be released April 24 on a great new label, This is American Music.